Among The Wreckage
by LeeLee777
Summary: Half of life is fu**ing up - the other half is dealing with it.
1. Chapter 1

Danny pressed his foot down on the accelerator, anger coursing through his body as the Camaro picked up speed, flashing like a bullet through the rain slicked roads. The harsh downpour pounded against his windshield, the wipers doing nothing to clear his view. The sound of the rain beating against the car roared through his ears, but not enough to block out the fight that replayed in his head. The brutal words from who he thought was his friend echoed in his brain. The truth hurts is what they say right? Well in the case the truth was like a kick to the groin, leaving Danny sick to his stomach at first then seething with anger.

_**30 minutes earlier**_

"I don't need some haole cop telling me how to do my job" Steve spit through clenched teeth as he stormed into the bullpen of HQ.

"Is that right?" Danny was hot on his heels, he was not letting this go.

"I'm a goddamn SEAL Danny, and your superior..." Steve spun around and loomed over Danny.

"Yeah?" Danny's arms were crossed defensively across his chest. He found it almost amusing that Steve thought he could intimidate him. Steve may have a foot on him but he was never one to back down from a fight, especially when he was right. Steve of all people should know that by now.

"...and i'm gettin' sick and tired of you raggin' on me for every decision I make regarding MY team and MY cases"

Steve wasn't in the mood for an argument. His leg throbbed and his worry for his team had his blood pressure so high he swore he could go into cardiac arrest at any moment. He wished Danny would just back off before he said or did something he would regret.

"YOUR cases?"

"Yeah MY cases or have you forgotten that the Governor put me in charge? You don't like the way I run things then maybe you should go, transfer back to HPD, maybe they'll put up with your shit" Steve spit out, arm waving toward the door before he turned and continued to his office. Danny followed closely.

"MY shit?" Danny pointed to himself incredulously."Let's not forget that you're the one that fucked up here, you!"

Steve breathed heavy, eyes focused on the accusing finger directed at him. He clenched his teeth as Danny continued.

"This is not the 'STAN' okay, we are not on the front lines of battle where we need to storm headfirst into a fuckin' combat zone. It's Hawaii for christ's sake, 90% of the time we have the luxury of assessing a situation and coming up with a plan of attack that keeps everyone, including you, oh fearless fuckin' leader, alive. But no, as usual your blatant disregard for anyones safety almost got us all killed, again!"

"Fuck you Danny"

"Fuck me, yeah you're right...fuck me. Fuck me because I actually give a shit about Kono bleeding in the ER right now getting stitches for a bullet graze to her fucking head!"

"Go to hell Danny, you think I don't care?"

"Yeah Steve, that's exactly what I think. I think for you in any case the end always justifies the means!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means"

"No, you know what, go to hell Danny...I care, I would have taken that bullet for her in a heartbeat"

Danny shook his head a laughed tiredly.

"You don't get it, you'll never get it. Is that supposed to make it okay? You taking a bullet to the head is better than Kono, or Chin? Why does anyone have to take a bullet?"

"Sometimes..."

"Sometimes what? Sometimes shit happens? Yeah you're right it does. But today? No. Today was all you. Today could have been prevented if you would have just listened to me for the millionth time."

"Listen to you? Who the hell are you? Some smart ass detective who thinks he knows everything because he has 87 homicide cases under his belt? Let me tell you something detective, I have led grown men into and safely out of the kinds of battles that in your lifetime you will only ever get to experience by watching them in some shit movie. I know more than you ever will about strategic ops and 'getting my guy' as you put it."

"You are a God among men. Is that what you want to hear? Is that what gets your sail rising in the morning COMMANDER?"

"I want to hear that you're going to quit bitching at me about every single move I make and accept that I am more than capable of leading this team."

"Says the man with the stab wound to his leg, and two members of his team in the ER."

"Chin is fine"

"Chin is fine? Did you miss the tire crow bar he got to the back of his head? Oh wait, I forgot, if he's walking and talking then he's fine right? Unbelievable"

"They're alive, we're all alive"

"Well then that just makes everything okay. Way to downplay your friends' pain. What is wrong with you? I mean do you genuinely not give a flying fuck about people you're supposed to care about getting injured or is this like a defense mechanism so you don't feel guilty or God forbid feel anything at all?"

"I don't owe you any explanation about how I run this team or how much I care. I have fucking had it with your holier than thou attitude like you don't make mistakes"

"You should know right? You are the king of them"

"Yeah I do actually. I know a lot about mistakes because the biggest one I've ever made is standing right in front of me"

Steve knew he had gone too far the instant the words left his mouth. Hurt flashed through Danny's eyes. Steve's instincts screamed at him to take it back, apologize before Danny could react, but he was still to heated to pay attention to his gut. He watched the emotions run over his partners face until he recognized the anger once again.

"Well the good news Commander, is that mistakes can always be rectified. You'll have my transfer papers by the morning. Maybe you'll get lucky and your next partner won't give a shit if you get yourself killed."

Steve stood frozen as Danny stormed out.

_**Present**_

Somewhere, deep in the back of Danny's mind, he knew that Steve had not meant what he said. That they had pushed one another to a point where they wanted their words to hurt. But he had said it. At first Danny felt something throb painfully in his chest. He knew he was a nag. He knew he ragged on Steve all the time about proper procedure and back up and all that crap. He thought that Steve knew it came from a good place, a place where he would die if anything happened to his friends. He thought that Steve understood that he wasn't mocking his inexperience at being a cop but showing him that people, namely the four members of Five-0, could stay safe while doing their job.

Soon the hurt that Steve's words caused turned to anger. Fuck him. Danny may not be a SEAL but he was damn good at his job. Fuck Steve for thinking he was better than him because he could hold his breath underwater for 5 minutes or because he knew 10 ways to kill a man with a Goddamn ballpoint pen. He resisted every urge to turn the car around, go back to HQ and put his fist through Steve's face. Red, that's all Danny could see. Kono could be dead right now, the bullet to the brain would have killed her instantly. It was dumb luck that it missed by a measly centimeter. Fuck him. Why didn't he seem to care about that? Or Chin, had Danny not been nearby when that guy got him with the crow bar Chin surely would have had his skull bashed in. He could have been a vegetable right now instead of nursing a concussion. Yeah, he is thankful as all fuck that they are alive,but they are still hurt. And fucking Steve, that blade could have hit an artery, he could have bled out before the medics even got there. He hated, more than anything, to see people he loved hurt. He can't help but think of what could have been. Fuck Steve for not realizing that. And fuck him for thinking that having Danny as a partner was a mistake.

Tears clouded Danny's vision. He banged his fist on the steering wheel, angry at himself for being upset. Suddenly bright headlights blinded him through the darkness. With the rain, his tears and the lights he can't tell if the car is coming straight at him or if it's safely on the other side of the road. Instinctively he turns the wheel sharply to the right. Before he knows what's happening the bright lights are gone and the Camaro is spinning wildly out of control, hyrdoplaning across the road. The first thing he hits is something solid, unmovable, the side of the mountain perhaps. Danny's body jerks violently to the right then the left smashing against the drivers door, metal crunching against his side and his head cracking the window. He knew instantaneously that his fastened seatbelt would do little to protect him from the final impact that was to come. The car all but bounced off the rocks and continued hydroplaning until Danny felt the guardrail give easily under the force of the car, lurching him forward, the seatbelt cutting into his chest. Then he was flying, well the car was, through the air, right side of the car facing out.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion in those few moments while the car was airborne. He almost laughed when visions flashed before his eyes. It was such a damn cliche about life flashing before your eyes when you're about to die but it was apparently true. His family, Rachel, Grace, Kono, Chin and Steve. It was like a silent movie, but Grace was the star. Her bright smile brought him a moment of peace and clarity until it was violently ripped away.

The airbags finally deployed as the right side of the Camaro crushed itself against the ground. Danny would have felt some relief except the car quickly flipped on it's side, rolling down this damn cliff like him and Matty used to do down the hill near his house when they were kids. The sound of crunching metal and glass rang in his ears. Each time his side of the car crashed against the ground he felt pain flare through his body. Just when he was sure he would be crushed to death the car came to a stop, bouncing as it miraculously landed right side up. The only thought Danny had before his whole world went dark was that he would never get to tell Grace again that Danno loves her.

Steve was so angry with himself. He always accused Danny of being the hothead, well he proved tonight that he was not the only one. Truth be told Steve had already been feeling guilty. He knew that todays mission had been an epic fail on his part. His team was injured and nobody knew how heavily that weighed on Steve's soul. When Danny accused him of not caring he just snapped. It pissed him off that Danny would think that he was unaffected by it. Just the thought of where that bullet could have hit Kono tore through his gut. And Chin, he was an old pro at this. Steve wasn't trying to downplay his injury but by telling himself that Chin was fine, with just a concussion, eased his guilt. Then there was Danny, he knew Danny was hiding an injury. Maybe not hiding it necessarily but he knew Danny was so focussed on everyone else that he put himself on the back burner. But he had seen him wince when he moved too abruptly. He had taken a bullet to the vest and Steve knew his ribs had to be bruised.

Fuck. He couldn't believe he had lost his temper like that. He had said some brutal things but he knew the final nail in the coffin was telling Danny he regretted making him his partner. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality of the situation was that he couldn't do any of this without Danny, he had become the single most important person in his life. He counted on Danny to ground him sometimes, even if it did piss him off. It went beyond Five-0. Danny was his friend. He couldn't lose that.

This hadn't been their first fight and it sure as hell wouldn't be their last, not if Steve could help it. He decided he would check on Kono and Chin at the hospital then head over to Danny's. He would give Danny a little while to calm down, giving himself a chance to gather his thoughts as well. Fixing this thing between them couldn't wait until tomorrow, he had to make this right tonight before Danny followed through and request a transfer. Grabbing his keys he headed out the door.

The ER was crowded, hell when was the ER not crowded, but Steve didn't expect to find Kono and Chin still waiting to be attended to. They had bypassed the general waiting area but were still waiting in the back. Kono sat cross legged on a gurney while Chin occupied a chair net to her.

"Hey Boss, how's the leg?" Kono sounded genuinely concerned, which made Steve's stomach turn. He sat in the unoccupied chair on the other side of the gurney.

"I'm good Kono, no worries...how's your head?" He glanced at the gauze covering a spot above her right temple just at her hairline.

"Eh, I'm good. Probably a few stitches which means I'll have a kick ass scar!"

Steve had to laugh at her enthusiasm. She was the only person he knew who would be excited about a visible scar. He nodded towards Chin who didn't seem as amused with her joke.

"What about you? They check you yet?"

"Not yet"

"You dizzy? Double vision? Nauseous?"

"Relax brah, they already asked me all that. Im good, just waiting to go for a CAT scan"

Chin smiled one of his zen like smiles that calmed Steve's nerves some. He glanced at Kono who was focused on something above their heads. Following her gaze his eyes landed on the tv screen. He noticed it was the news and read the scroll at the bottom of the screen.

"_**Emergency workers race to rescue man from gruesome crash"**_

Steve couldn't hear what the newscasters are saying but judging from the number of emergency vehicles on the scene it must be a bad accident.

"Man I don't see how anyone could survive that" Kono whispered, looking sympathetically at the tv.

"Car went off the cliff, if the jaws of life aren't getting him out then I don't see how he did" Chin offered realistically.

"Puts things in perspective huh boss?" Steve pulled his eyes from the screen to raise questioning eyebrows at her.

"I mean, our little scratches kinda pale in comparison to what this poor guy is going through" She nods meaningfully at the screen. "Get what I'm saying here?"

"Should I?" Steve questioned, not quite following.

Kono sighed. "I'm saying quit it with the guilt trip. We're fine! We got all ten fingers and toes, we know what year it is and who the president is. We're good, so stop cuz I can feel the guilt radiating off of you"

Steve swallowed hard, now he felt even more guilty. He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees.

"I get what you're saying Kono but I..."

"No buts, please. Look, I know Danny lays this massive guilt crap on you, as I'm sure he did tonight, but you know he's not trying to make you feel bad."

"No? Then what's it for?"

"He worries Steve..." Chin piped in. "...he worries about all of us. Maybe it's the father in him, who knows, but it's concern. Especially for you. It's his way of trying to make you see that none of us are indestructible."

"C'mon boss, he knows the hazards of the job, he just doesn't want to see any of us hurt if it can be avoided."

Steve sat back and looked carefully at his friends. They were right, he knew it.

"You should go talk to him" Kono urged.

"How did you know we..."

"Please, you're here and he's not, which means you got into it and one of you went a little too far and I'm gonna assume it was you cuz you got that whole 'foot in mouth' face goin' on"

"What is with you people and naming my faces?"

Kono laughed.

"Just go talk to him"

"I will, I just want to make sure you guys are checked out first..I promise" Steve smiled and made a point of crossing his heart to make it more believable.

A short while later Chin had finally been taken for his CAT scan and Kono was getting stitched up. Steve had even allowed a PA to check the field dressing he had applied to his leg and decided it was good enough to just get him some antibiotics and painkillers for the road.

Suddenly the room started buzzing with activity. Nurses ran from one side to the other preparing a triage area when a call had come in. Apparently, from what Steve could overhear, they had extricated that man on the news from his car and he was being brought here. He recognized some of the medical jargon they were using and it sounded bad.

Doctors and nurses ran past the area where Steve and Kono were to the doors at the ambulance bay that would be bringing in the man. Meanwhile nurses continued moving machines to the large area where they would be treating him. Soon they could hear the sirens getting closer. The whole ER became eerily quite as all the workers stilled and waited. The sirens stopped and now Steve could see the flash of the lights through the doors as the team of physicians barged through wheeling a gurney. One of the EMT's straddled the man's body, doing chest compressions as his partner shouted out what they had found on scene and what had already been done.

Steve caught a flash of blond hair, matted with blood, and felt his stomach flip.

"Male, early 30's, MVA, crashed en route, shocked twice..."

That's all Steve heard before the gurney was wheeled past him and his entire world turned upside down. Kono's hand shot to Steve's shoulder as she gave a strangled gasp.

The man on the gurney was a wreck, blood and bruises covered the left side of his face, a tube protruded from his slack mouth, a cervical collar wrapped around his neck and blond hair wet with rain and blood pushed it down over his ears. But there was no mistaking who the man was lying lifeless before their eyes.

"Danny" Steve whispered in disbelief. His body involuntarily followed. He felt like he couldn't breathe as he watched the medic jump from atop his friend and the doctors rushed to hook Danny up to all kinds of machines, paddles were placed swiftly on his bare chest.

"Clear!"

Steve felt his own body jerk as Danny's jumped on the bed and fell lifeless once again. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be fucking happening. Danny was home, pissed off beyond belief with Steve, but he was home, safe and sound in his shithole of an apartment. How the fuck did this happen?

The sound of a steady ringing told Steve that his friend was still flatlined and he watched helplessly as they shocked him again. This time he felt Kono squeezing his arm, her breath hitching behind him, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from Danny. His heart pounded furiously in his chest waiting, for any sign that Danny was alive, that he hadn't left him yet.

"Clear"

Steve knew this may be one of the final attempts made at starting Danny's heart again, he held his breath and prayed. Finally, finally after what seemed like forever, there was a steady beeping and the doctors began moving in a flurry around him. The one in charge called out orders. They couldn't move fast enough. The tube was immediately hooked up to a respirator. Someone else began wiping the blood from his face to see how bad the laceration was. Another nurse hooked up an IV. The doctor was feeling around his ribs. Steve was trying to keep up with what they were all doing and saying but the blood rushing in his own ears prevented him from focusing completely.

Before he knew what was happening Danny was being wheeled away again.

"Wait, where's he going?"

"Sir, you need to move"

"Stop, Five-0..." He pulled his badge and with a shaking hand flashed it to the doctor "...his name is Danny Williams and he's my partner. Please, what's happening?"

"We need to run some tests to know the full extent of his injuries, which I can tell you off the bat are severe. Right now what we do know is that his lung has collapsed and he has internal bleeding, we have to get him up to surgery"

Steve swallowed hard. He knew he should be asking more questions but his brain was not functioning properly.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Bless Kono and her little heart. Her voice shook with fear but at least she had the courage to ask the question that Steve couldn't.

"I can't say, we won't know until we get in there how bad the damage is. Go on up to the 4th floor and inform the nurses who you're there for. They'll keep you posted. I'm sorry but we have to go"

He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. His eyes followed Danny's broken body until it was out of his line of sight, then he stared at nothing. His heart pounded relentlessly in his chest. He ran a shaking hand through his hair, eyes darting to Kono who seemed equally as shocked. Neither of them said a word.

"Hey guys, I got the all clear. Let's get the hell ou..." Chin stopped speaking as two pairs of shellshocked eyes turned to him.

"Uh oh, what'd I miss?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: Sorry for the ridiculous delay with this chapter. Life, as usual, got in the way. I am also working on the next chapter of Hold on Hope and a one-shot which is almost complete. Hope this is okay for now : (**

Among The Wreckage Chapter 2

_"Please sit down boss, you're making my head spin" Steve glanced at Kono as she leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. He hadn't been able to sit still since Danny had been carted off to surgery several hours ago. Watching the remainder of his team he could tell that he was not the only one this night had been taking it's toll on. The stewing guilt kicked up notch and made his stomach turn. _

_"Sorry Kono" Steve whispered, rubbing a hand down his face._

_"Don't be sorry, just sit down" _

_Just as he was about to concede to Kono's demand, a deep voice called his name._

_"Commander McGarrett?_

_Kono and Chin jumped to their feet as Steve spun around to come face to face with Danny's surgeon. Steve swallowed the growing lump in his throat but couldn't find his voice._

_"Why don't we sit down?" The doctor motioned to the chairs. Steve shook his head as the churning bile in his stomach increased, he couldn't bring himself to move. _

_"Just...just please, is he alright? Is Danny okay?" He stumbled over his words, not liking the look on the surgeons face. He watched as the young doctor glanced at Kono and Chin before settling sorrowful eyes back on Steve._

_"I'm sorry Commander, there were complications. We did everything we could..."_

_Steve could hear nothing beyond the intense ringing in his ears. He involuntarily drew a breath when his body reminded him to breathe. Danny was dead, gone. This had to be a mistake or some sort of cruel practical joke. There was no way Danny could really be dead, no fucking way. The ringing in his ears was replaced by the incessant pounding of his own heart. How unfair that his heart still be beating when Danny's wasn't. No, it was a lie. For whatever reason this doctor had to be lying. He could feel the bile rising to his throat, he swallowed hard, willing it to recede._

_"Steve" Chin's normally even toned voice sounded raw and pain filled. Steve was frozen, suspended in the moment. His brain worked hard to process this crazy notion that Danny had succumbed to his injuries, the idea that Steve would never have the chance to tell Danny how fucking sorry he was for the things he had said. _

_"Steve" This time Kono tried, her broken voice barely registering in Steve's head._

_Grace. He was going to have to tell Grace that she would never see her Danno again. The devastated face of Danny's precious little girl flashed before his eyes and it stole the breath right from his lungs, making him dizzy. He barely felt himself stumble before two sets of firm hands guided him to a chair._

_"Steve" He closed his eyes, welcoming the tightness in his chest, hoping it would save him from this horrific nightmare._

"_Steve"_

_"Commander"_

"STEVE!"

Steve's eyes flew open, he looked frantically from Kono to Chin and back again. Eyes were watching him with concern but they didn't carry the despair and pain they had a few minutes ago.

"Damn boss, you sure do sleep hard. You okay brah?" Kono's voice light and somewhat teasing now, no longer broken. And he no longer felt like there was an elephant sitting on his chest. Steve ran a hand over his face, stopping to rub at his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good...sorry" Holy fuck it had been a nightmare. The relief flowed through his veins but only until he heard Chin's voice.

"Steve, Danny's surgeon is here to talk to you" Steve's head snapped up and found a concerned doctor standing to his left. He jumped to his feet, panic set in when his nightmare from only moments ago flashed through his mind.

"Doc?" One word was all Steve could manage but it held the weight of a thousand questions and the doctor knew it.

"Commander I'm happy to tell you that Danny has come through surgery, quite well actually given the circumstances"

Although Steve knew for sure there was going to be a 'but' coming, he released the breath he had been holding. Danny was alive.

"Now, that's not to say we didn't have a difficult time in there. Danny suffered a laundry list of injuries, I'm sure they will all sound severe but I assure you Danny is already on the road to recovery. He had some internal bleeding caused by a ruptured spleen. We were hoping to not have to remove it, however the damage was significant and we couldn't count on his body healing the spleen itself, not with his body sustaining such trauma."

Steve nodded in understanding.

"His lung was punctured by a broken rib. We inserted a chest tube which serves to allow air to escape the lung but not reenter it. The tube will be left in place until no air is seen to escape from it for a period of time, and X-rays confirm re-expansion of the lung."

The doctor stopped to look at the three officers, waiting for their nod of understanding and for him to continue.

"Bear in mind your friend was in a compact car that flipped several times so his body is pretty banged up, bruising and such. Miraculously though his rib was the only thing broken, however, he does have a hip fracture which we were unable to repair at this time. The surgery is a major stress on the patient and we couldn't risk it with his blood pressure already being dangerously low throughout surgery. As his condition improves over the next couple of days we'll make plans to operate."

The doctor took a deep breath and continued.

"Our biggest concern is his head injury. Danny suffered a cerebral contusion, causing swelling and pressure on the brain. As of right now he doesn't require surgical intervention but we will be monitoring him very closely to ensure the swelling goes down. In the meantime he will be heavily sedated, a medical induced coma if you will, to allow his body to do it's job and begin healing."

The doctor could see the fear and shock when they heard the word 'coma', he rushed to reassure them.

"Rest assured, this is standard procedure for this type of swelling on the brain." The doctor took a deep breath, Danny's friends didn't seem convinced.

"Look, your friend has a long road ahead of him. However, barring any further complications he could potentially make a full recovery."

Steve's eyes snapped to the poor doctor, piercing a hole through him with his glare.

"Potentially?"

"Yes, potentially. Danny's heart stopped twice before he even arrived in the ER, then again in surgery and while tests show his heart is as strong as ever, each time his heart stopped it prevented the flow of oxygen to the brain. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that whenever that happens, especially for an extended amount of time, there is the possibility for brain damage."

"But you don't know that for sure" Steve argued, refusing to believe what he was being told.

"No, unfortunately that is not something we can determine until he regains consciousness. Commander McGarrett, I'm simply trying to prepare you for any possibility. It's a bridge we'll have to cross when we get to it. Right now I am very optimistic and am going to focus on his physical recovery." The doctor ended his speech with a gentle reassuring smile, genuine enough to convince Steve that the prognosis was good.

"Can we see him?" Kono asked with hopeful eyes.

"He'll be in recovery for another hour, once he's transferred to ICU you'll be able to sit with him. Just remember, Danny is under heavy sedation and won't be responsive until we want him to be. I'll have the nurse come and get you when he can have visitors"

Once the doctor had retreated Steve went into command mode.

"Chin, I want a full report on the Camaro. I want to know if it was tampered with"

"Wait, you think this wasn't an accident?" The notion hadn't even occurred to Kono.

"What I know is that Danny is an extremely cautious driver and I don't want to waste any time not exploring the possibility that someone could have deliberately done this"

He knew it was a far stretch but is was better than the thought that their argument had shaken Danny so much that he was distracted and upset while driving in a torrential downpour. It's too much so he pushes it out of his mind for the moment and redirects his thoughts.

"I'm on it, call me if anything changes"

"I'll go with Chin. Boss, you gonna be okay?" Steve hated the look of sympathy in her eyes, if she only knew how bad it had gotten between him and Danny earlier she would probably hate him.

"I'll be fine Kono, just let me know as soon as you have the report"

As Kono and Chin disappeared around the corner, Steve sunk into the chair beside him and waited.

/

Precisely an hour later Steve was being led through a series of rooms that made up the Intensive Care Unit. Steve kept his head down as he walked, not wanted to intrude on the privacy of the other patients. It was eerily quiet, save for the melodic beeping of various machines as he passed each room. The nurse leading him stopped outside the entrance of one of the larger rooms and Steve raised his head, his heart stopping at the sight before him.

"Commander, you can go in" The nurse had a gentle voice and lay a warm comforting hand on his arm for reassurance.

Steve swallowed hard and moved towards the bed that held his partner. He stopped when his thighs hit the rail, his eyes began to roam Danny's broken form, cataloging every bruise, bandage and wire.

The entirety of Danny's face was covered in small cuts, abrasions and bruises, undoubtedly from small pieces of glass cutting into him. The left side of his face was barely recognizable. A white bandage covered some of the area leading from the temple into his hairline, the area so swollen and bruised around it that Steve had to bite back a cry at the sight of it. A thin tube protruded from his slack mouth, held in place by a small piece of white tape. Steve couldn't help but be transfixed by it. The swoosh of the ventilator pulled him from his daze and his eyes continued their travel. Another thin tube snaked out from the top of the hospital gown which was loose and laying low so that Steve could see it was leading under another white bandage at his chest.

Tears gathered in his eyes as the guilt hit him. All he could think of was that his partner, his friend, was lying in the bed fighting for his life because of him. He knew in his gut that those reports would come back clean. The only thing to cause such a horrific accident were harsh words and an upset driver. How would he ever make up for this?

He reached out a hand towards Danny's arm, noting the myriad of bruising across his arms, but pulled back before he could reach him.

"It's okay, you can touch him" The kind nurse was back and lay her small hand atop Danny's just to show Steve it was okay.

As Steve reached out again, the nurse slowly pulled her hand back. She offered a comforting smile and a small nod when he glanced at her.

Danny's skin was warm to the touch as Steve gently wrapped his hand around Danny's uncommonly still one. The overwhelming sadness and fear that hit him at first contact took his breath away. He had been so afraid that Danny was going to be lost to him forever that to feel him still alive, blood still running through his veins, almost brought him to his knees. Holding himself upright he whispered the words that he would say every single day for the rest of his life if he had to.

"I'm sorry Danny...I'm so damn sorry"


	3. Chapter 3

"Uncle Steve?"

Steve's head snapped towards the doorway at the whisper of his name. He had been dreading this moment with every fiber of his being. He hadn't even realized that the night had slipped away. Without windows in the ICU ward he had no concept of time. He could have sworn it was only a short while ago that he had spoken to Rachel. A conversation that had left him with mixed feelings. Rachel had been somewhat closed off, a steely tone to her voice. Perhaps it was her way of preparing to tell Grace of her fathers condition. Whatever the reason, Steve was extremely apprehensive of seeing her. Now that she stood stoically behind Grace he wasn't sure what to think. He was having a difficult time reading her expression as she eyed the prone figure in the bed.

Grace on the other hand was an open book, just like her father Steve thought sadly. She stood tall, grasping tight to her mothers hands that lay over her shoulders. Big brown eyes like saucers that kept fleeting back and forth between himself and her Danno. Unshed tears sparkled in her eyes and he could see a slight tremble to her lips.

"Hey kiddo"

Steve barely recognized his own voice, rough with disuse and grief. He offered a small smile that didn't match what he was feeling inside. The guilt was tearing his heart out and ripping a hole in his stomach. Danny's little girl, his most prized possession, was standing before him with an ocean of fear in her eyes, and it was all his fault. She would never forgive him for what he had done to her father, he didn't expect her to.

He saw her trepidation, understood it. He himself had not wanted to touch the battered body that lay before him. How could a nine year old girl not be afraid to do so.

Steve held out a slightly shaky hand towards Grace, unsure if she would accept his offer. He didn't deserve her comfort but found he suddenly needed it. His question was answered when less than a second later the little girl broke free from her mothers grasp and flew into Steve's arms. He held on, feeling Graces small arms wrap tightly around his neck.

"Is Danno gonna be okay?" Her small voice shook. Steve glanced up at Rachel who remained in the doorway. If he had been hoping for some help with the answer to Grace's question it was gone quickly when Rachel turned her head away.

Gently, Steve moved Grace's arms from around his neck and looked her in the eye.

"Remember when I told you how tough your Dad is, and brave?" Steve repeated his words from months ago when he had gone to pick up Grace after Danny's run in with sarin. Everything had worked out fine then, maybe his words would render the same results this time around.

Grace nodded, a stray tear escaping her eye and rolling down her cheek. Steve reached a finger up to brush it away, pairing the gesture with a warm smile. This up close he was taken aback at the resemblance Grace had to her father. In the past he had always seen Rachel, brown hair, brown eyes, pretty face. But now, really looking at Grace he saw nothing but Danny. They had the same trusting eyes.

"Well it's gonna take a while, but little by little Danno's gonna get better. He's gonna be sleeping a lot, but that's good because the more he rests the stronger he'll get"

Grace turned her head to look at her father. Steve could feel her tremble slightly in his arms.

"C'mere" He stood and gently guided Grace closer to the bed.

"It's okay Gracie, you can hold his hand. In fact, I'm sure it's just what he needs to start feeling better"

It wasn't a lie. The one thing Steve knew for sure was that a touch, a hug, a word from Grace was the one thing that could always make his partner feel better.

"Go ahead darling" Rachel's soft voice floated across from where she now stood at the other side of the bed. She offered a small nod and smile to her daughter, encouraging her to do as Steve said.

With her mothers approval, Grace raised her hand and slipped it under her fathers still one. Steve felt his heart stutter as he watched her wrap her small fingers around Danny's larger ones.

"Hi Danno, it's me, monkey" Steve swallowed hard at Grace's use of the nickname Danny used for her. She glanced back at Steve with questioning eyes. He smiled and nodded that it was okay that she speak to him.

"Uncle Steve says that you're gonna get better. He said it's good that you're sleeping, just like you tell me when I'm sick."

Steve watched Danny's face while Grace spoke. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see, he knew full well how medicated Danny was, but he couldn't help but have that small hope that Grace's voice would pull some sort of reaction from him.

"Uncle Steve is right, isn't he Danno? You are going to get better aren't you? You have to Danno, we didn't finish reading Because of Winn Dixie, and we were up to a really good part..."

Steve felt his chest constrict as Grace's voice became emotional, she began choking on her words. He could see her squeezing Danny's hand as if she could wake him up herself.

"...we have to find out if Opal finds Winn Dixie. Please Danno, please wake up so we can finish it. Please..." Grace dropped her cheek onto Danny's hand and began crying, begging her father to just wake up. Steve should have known better than to let Rachel bring her here. It was too much for any child to handle, let alone Grace, who worshiped the ground her father walked on.

Steve didn't know what to do, if he should offer the little girl comfort or let her get it all out. The decision was made for him when Rachel pushed past him and leaned down to wrap her arms around her daughter. Steve could here her whispering into Grace's ear but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He took a few steps back, desperately trying to hold onto his own emotions. Grace was breaking his heart. He had caused Danny's innocent little girl to have a breakdown at her father's bedside.

"Come on sweetheart" Steve was pulled from his thoughts as Rachel lifted Grace into her arms. A tear streaked face turned in his direction, big glassy brown eyes piercing his soul.

"You'll stay with him, won't you Uncle Steve?" Grace hiccuped as her sobs died down.

"Every second, I promise"

She didn't reply, simply turned her head back towards Danny and whispered, "I love you Danno," before resting her head on Rachel's shoulder.

"I trust you'll keep in touch Commander?"

"Of course, I'll call with any change"

With a terse nod Rachel quietly left the room.

The course of the day brought no news and no change in Danny's condition. Steve sat idly beside his bed and watched as nurses and doctors periodically took vitals and checked on Danny's stats. They suctioned his tubing several times and changed the dressing on his head once. Steve quickly learned what all the machines were doing, what the monitors were for and found himself checking them all day, hoping for some positive change. The staff was kind to him, asking if he was okay, telling him it was alright to take a break and stretch his legs, that Danny was in good hands. He couldn't. He had made a promise to Grace and he was going to keep it.

Her visit had taken it's toll on him. It kicked the guilt up several notches, and with no word from Chin yet on the car reports he felt it weighing even heavier. He found himself touching Danny's hand a lot, needing the contact to remind himself that Danny was still here. He would wrap his fingers around his wrist, feeling for Danny's steady pulse beneath his fingertips. His brain knew that the monotonous beeping from the monitors told him that Danny was alive, but he needed a physical reminder so his own heartbeat would even out.

The arrival of a new nurse told him it was shift change and it was the only indication he had that it was late in the day. He thought briefly about Chin and Kono and why they hadn't been back all day. He knew they were running on empty having come right off the case last night, both injured, and then spending half the night at the hospital with him. He hoped they had gotten some much needed rest. As if on cue soft footsteps pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Hey Boss." Steve found himself smiling in spite of himself at Kono's warm smile.

"Sorry we took so long getting back here, Governor threw a case in our laps earlier, wouldn't take no for an answer." There was obvious anger flowing through Chin's words.

"Ah man, I'm sorry guys. You should have called me." It was a weak offer. Even if the Governor had waltzed in here himself and demanded Steve's attention on a case he would have refused, doing whatever he had to do in order to remain by Danny's side.

"Nah, we handled it, no biggie" Waving Steve off Kono stepped up to the rail of the bed. Steve watched her run a few fingers through Danny's hair then lower her hand to rest it atop the lifeless one on the bed.

"How's he doin'?" Chin asked studying Steve closely. He noted the lines of exhaustion on Steve's face.

"No change." The cousins glanced at one another sadly, they could hear the emotion in Steve's two short words.

"It's still early, his surgeon said it would be a while before there is one right?" Chin tried to be reassuring.

"Yeah" Steve replied hoarsely. "Those the car reports?" he added, nodding at the folder in Chin's hand.

"They are." Chin confirmed, lips pressed together tightly.

"And?" Steve wasn't sure what answer he was hoping for. On one hand he was praying nobody had tampered with the car, he couldn't bear the thought of someone intentionally trying to hurt Danny. On the other hand he was looking for anything other than it being an accident, something to blame this on other than himself. He held his breath waiting for Chin's reply.

"And it looks like this was just a really horrible accident..." Steve felt his stomach lurch, partly from relief and partly from overwhelming guilt.

"...They went over every inch with a fine tooth comb. Made it top priority. It appears that everything was in working order." Chin paused, Steve could tell he had more to say.

"What?"

"We went through HPD's accident reports. According to the witnesses who called 911, they were driving behind Danny right before he crashed."

"So they saw the crash, what happened Chin?" A huge part of Steve did not want the details, but he needed them.

"Well, they said he was going pretty fast, definitely above the speed limit, but not driving erratically until a car that had been traveling on the opposite side of the road got closer. Then they said he cut the wheel really hard as if to swerve out of the way and that's when he lost control."

"So this other car, it ran him off the road?"

"No, witness said the other vehicle was safely on the other side of the road, nowhere near Danny. I guess we'll have to wait until he wakes up to find out what really happened." Although Steve was happy to hear Chin sounding pretty sure Danny would wake up, he was sick to think that he already knew the answer to that question.

"Can I see?" Steve reached for the folder, wanting to read the reports for himself.

"I don't know if that's a good idea brah."

"He wouldn't let me see them either." Kono, who had been quietly stroking her thumb over Danny's scraped knuckles, chimed in.

"It's bad enough I had to see what's in here, I don't need you..." He looked pointedly at Kono. "...or you..." eyes now back on Steve, "...having nightmares over it."

"Well Chin, I'm a big boy and I think I can make that decision all by myself." Steve snapped, reaching his hand back out. Chin sighed heavily and placed the folder in Steve's outstretched hand. He knew nothing he could do would keep Steve from wanting to see it, that he would demand it even if he hadn't brought it with him.

Chin moved to stand next to Kono, placing a hand on Danny's forearm.

"Hey brah, we're all praying for you. Take as much time as you need to heal as long as you get through this, you hear me? There's a box of Coco Puffs with your name on it just waiting for you, my treat." Chin smiled and squeezed the arm he was holding.

Steve gripped the file folder tightly in his hands but not opening it. If Chin was adamant that they not see it then it must be pretty bad and he did not need to fall apart in front of his team.

"You guys looked wiped"

"Says the man who looks like he's been run over by a truck." Kono's hand flew to her mouth when she saw Steve flinch at her poor word choice. "Oh God, I'm sorry...I didn't mean.." Tears flooded her eyes.

"It's okay Kono." Steve assured roughly.

"Come on cuz, I think we all need some rest." Chin gently pulled on her arm.

"Chin's right, go home, sleep."

"I meant you too Steve. You're not gonna do Danny any good if you end up in a bed of your own from sleep deprivation and exhaustion."

"I'm not leaving," was Steve's adamant reply.

"Steve..."

"Chin, I'm staying." Steve and Chin stared each other down.

The standoff ended with Kono making Steve swear that he would try to get some shut eye and she promised she would bring him a change of clothes the next day. After they had gone the nurse came in to run some checks on the monitors, change the IV bag and soon he found himself alone with his partner once again.

"Just you and me again Danno. Ya know, for all I complain about you talking to much I would do anything for you to open your eyes and say something." His eyes studied Danny's face, not even a twitch. "I guess I should be careful what I wish for huh?" He swallowed hard and looked down at the folder still clenched tightly in his grasp.

Taking a deep breath he gathered his strength and opened it. Nothing could have prepared him for what he found inside. The first picture was from the accident scene. it must have been taken at the top of the slope that the car rolled down. The Camaro was barely recognizable, just a twisted heap of silver metal. The second picture was closer, what appeared to be the drivers side was blocked by paramedics. The front end was crushed. As Steve got to the third picture his stomach rolled. A clear shot of Danny's limp and battered body stared up at him. The airbag in front of him had been deflated, the seatbelt looked to be gripping him as his body was trapped between twisted pieces of metal. The drivers door was crushing him while his head hung limply, chin resting against his chest. Red covered the entire side of his face, soaking his shirt. Steve couldn't help but wonder how much of the accident Danny had experienced before losing consciousness. He silently prayed he hadn't felt much. How Danny had even survived was a miracle in and of itself.

He felt tears burning his eyes and looked back up at his friend. The blood had been cleaned but the horror of the accident remained. Danny's injuries were severe and there was no guarantee that he would wake up. The guilt had been swallowing Steve up, convinced he caused the accident. Now a new feeling overwhelmed him. What if Danny never woke up? What if the last words he ever said to him were about Danny being a mistake? No, no he would wake up. He had to, there was no other option.

Shifting closer to the bed he dropped the folder on the floor and reached out, taking hold of Danny's hand tightly in his. He ignored the scrapes and bruising, knowing his friend was beyond feeling any pain at the moment anyway.

"Ok Danny, I need you to listen to me now. I need you to fight dirty here. I told Grace that you were strong and brave and that you'd be okay, don't make a liar out of me."

He paused and drew a deep breath.

"You have to know Danny, I didn't mean what I said. I never...I would be lost if you left. When I told you to transfer back to HPD? Jesus Danny, I would never want that. Saying that you were a mistake was the biggest damn lie I've ever told. Making you my partner was the only thing in my entire life I've done right. I'm sorry Danno, I'm so fucking sorry for making you think otherwise. You have to be ok so I can tell you that, cuz you need to know that...I need you to know that. Please"

His final word was barely a whisper as his emotions took hold. He let his head drop so his forehead was resting against Danny's hand.

"Please..." He quietly pleaded with his friend. And in the stillness of the room, as hot tears finally spilled over his cheeks, falling on the cool skin of the prone hand below Steve felt Danny's fingers twitch. Flexing once, twice before going still again.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey all, thank you so much for all the reviews and story alerts. This is a short chapter but it's mostly to get the story moving along. Just like all of you I really want Danny to wake up so this will hopefully get us to that point. Hope you are still enjoying the story!

**Chapter 4**

The hours passed by in a blur, slowly turning into days. Danny had not made anymore movement since the twitch of his fingers three nights ago. The doctors had told Steve it was a reflex, an involuntary movement. Steve chose to believe otherwise, simply because he had to believe in something. For him it was a sign, it was Danny's way of saying "I'm still here, it's going to be okay." It had come on the heels of Steve breaking down, the one weak moment he had through this whole ordeal thus far. And at that moment, when Steve felt his partners hand move in his own, he made an internal resolution to be strong for his friend. There would be no more breakdowns, no more guilt trips even as it burned deep inside him. He would offer up his own strength and support to see Danny through this nightmare.

The doctors had been in and out, as if on a never ending carousel ride. The neurologist spoke of reduced swelling, a good sign. The orthopedic surgeon spoke of surgery on his hip, the need to get it done as soon as possible so the bones didn't set improperly. The pulmonologist was coming tonight to remove the tube in Danny's chest, x-rays confirming his lung had completed it's re-expansion. He would feel tightness in his chest for some time to come but it was healing nicely.

The second day had found the bruises and cuts darkening, but now Steve could see them beginning to heal as well. The swelling on Danny's face had reduced, making him more recognizable. Steve was eager for the doctors to wean him off the heavy drugs that had kept him sedated and unresponsive for three days. The neurologist was hopeful that they would be able to do it by tomorrow. They needed to find out, now that some of the swelling on Danny's brain had gone down, if he would wake up. Tests showed no signs of damage, so they were optimistic that no surgical intervention would be required.

Rachel had brought Grace by each day after school for a little while. She hadn't been as nervous the second and third time around. Steve had sat quietly in the corner and watched as Grace spoke to her father. He found himself smirking as she rambled on about everything and nothing, at times going into a Danny-esque rant. She sure did inherit her fathers ability to talk.

Steve had spoken briefly with the Governor, informing him that he would be on leave until further notice. Surprisingly he had been understanding, allowing Chin and Kono to take the lead during his absence, with the stipulation that he send someone in his place to join Five-0. Steve didn't care, all that meant was that he was free to be by Danny's side for the long haul.

Chin and Kono came whenever they had the chance. As promised, Kono had kept Steve clothed and fed. In turn, Steve had kept up his end of the bargain and slept restlessly in a reclining chair beside Danny.

At the moment, Steve stood next to the bed, not able to sit anymore. He observed the three day beard growth his friend had sprouted in his unconscious state. It covered some of the cuts on his face, but it made Steve uncomfortable. Danny took pride in his appearance at all times. Sure, he would sometimes get caught up and not shave for a day, but that was only when he was practically dead on his feet from being overworked on a case. It was disconcerting to see him so disheveled, that Steve had taken to running his fingers through Danny's hair periodically to keep it from becoming unruly. Currently, it sat in waves on his head. It had been washed since the accident, had to be, in order to get the blood out and clean his wounds. It was a look Steve didn't mind so much, maybe he would tell Danny that when he woke up. But the beard, it had to go. Steve made a mental note to ask the nurses when it would be okay to clean him up.

"Good evening Commander."

Steve looked up to find the pulmonologist coming into the room, a nurse following behind wheeling a cart with several medical supplies on it.

"Dr. Kahana" He nodded his greeting as the doctor pulled down the top of Danny's gown to remove the bandage surrounding the chest tube.

"What do you say we get rid of this thing huh? I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable without it." It made Steve smile to hear the doctor speaking to Danny.

"Commander, if you would be so kind?" Dr. Kahana motioned towards the door.

"Of course." Before stepping away, Steve wrapped his hand around Danny's and squeezed. "I'll be right outside Danno."

Steve took the opportunity to check in with Chin. He may have been absent from Five-0 for the time being but he still needed to be kept in the loop. Just as he was about to hit the send button on his phone, the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Reid, came around the corner.

"Commander McGarrett, how are you tonight?" The doctor greeted Steve with a shake of a hand.

"I'm okay Dr. Reid, could definitely be better." The doctor nodded in understanding.

"Well then, perhaps I can help with that. I understand Dr. Kahana is in with Danny right now."

"Yeah, he uh, he's removing the chest tube." The relief in Steve's voice was evident. The doctor smiled.

"I've conversed with all of Danny's doctors and we've come to the conclusion that he is ready for his hip surgery."

"But he hasn't woken up yet, isn't that risky?"

"Any surgical procedure is risky. Our concern was that Danny's body couldn't handle the stress of surgery, but he's coming along nicely. His latest scans are good, they show big improvements. His heart has regained it's strength and we all agree that now is the time. My fear is that if we wait too long there will be permanent damage that no amount of rehabilitation will help."

Steve couldn't mask the concern on his face. He understood what the doctor was saying but was scared that Danny wasn't strong enough yet to handle another operation.

"Commander, I understand your trepidation. However, I assure you, we would not put Danny in unnecessary risk."

"When do you plan on doing this?"

"They should have the OR ready in about an hour."

"An hour?" Steve was beginning to panic. He wanted to trust the doctors, knew he should, but his fear was taking over his logic. What if something went wrong? What if THEY were wrong? What if Danny wasn't strong enough yet to undergo such a procedure? A warm hand on his shoulder pulled him from his panic.

"Commander, we have every reason to believe that Danny will come through this with ease. I know it's difficult, but please have a little faith."

Faith in what exactly? Faith in doctors abilities? Faith that Danny would continue to fight, that he wouldn't leave Grace behind without one? Steve thought back to the small hand movement Danny had two days prior and quickly realized that all he had to go on was faith.

Another two days had passed. The operation on Danny's hip was a success. He had come through the surgery just fine, the only complication was a decrease of his blood pressure. They had quickly sorted it all out and now he sported a lovely screw in is left hip. Rehabilitation would take a while and physical therapy would be painful, but Danny was alive.

The day after the surgery, Danny's neurologist decided to wean him off of the drugs that were keeping him in a coma. At this point, the swelling on his brain had gone down significantly and they needed to see where Danny stood.

Steve had been given permission this morning to, for lack of a better word, groom Danny. Apparently it was a popular request. The nurse had explained that a lot of patients families ask to wash hair, shave, and even polish nails at times, which wasn't permitted. Steve had smiled and reassured the nurse that he had no intention of doing anything of the sort. A simple shave was all Steve was looking to accomplish. There was some scabbing from the cuts on Danny's face so Steve made sure to be careful.

The nurse had provided him with a small water basin, razor and shaving cream. They showed him how to maneuver around the ventilator tubing and left him alone to work his magic.

"Ok buddy, any objections speak now." Steve watched his friends face as he held a glop of shaving cream on the pad of his fingers, hovering above Danny's face. Not a single twitch.

"No? Alright, here we go." Steve gently applied the cream to Danny's right cheek, spreading it out until a good surface area was covered. He swiftly wiped his hand clean then dipped the razor into the water before lightly pressing the blade to Danny's cheek and running it down his face. Carefully and meticulously Steve repeated the process, over and over until he had only a small patch of hair to remove on left cheek where most of the swelling had been.

He turned to the basin and swished the razor around in the water to rinse off the hair and cream. After shaking away the excess water until it was no longer dripping, Steve turned back to finish what he had started and his breath caught in his throat, his heart thudding to a stop.

The bluest eyes he had ever seen were wide and staring up at him. Steve couldn't help the tears that welled in his eyes, the smile that grew on his face, or the depth of emotion that echoed with the words he had been longing to say for five days.

"Hey Danno, welcome back."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Okay, here is the next chapter for all of those wonderful readers who have been waiting so very patiently. I do apologize for the EXTREME delay of this installment. I had some trouble with this chapter and am not terribly happy with it. I know where I want the story to go but I'm having a hard time getting there. Pair that with the millions of other ideas I have floating around in my head for other stories and I kind of hit a road block. Well, anyway, here it is. Hope it was worth the wait for those of you still with me : ( **_

_****_Chapter 5

"Danny?" Steve's smile faltered. Danny's eyes were glassy and unfocused. He dropped the razor in the wash bin and rested a cool damp hand on his friends arm. Danny's muscles twitched under Steve's fingers as crystal blue eyes blinked slowly.

Steve knew Danny would be sluggish, the sedatives still coursing through his veins, working their way out of his system, but it was the confusion that clouded his partners vision that had his stomach in knots. He slid his hand down Danny's arm until his fingers slipped into his loose palm.

"Danno, can you hear me?" All Steve received as a confirmation was another weary blink. Steve mentally cursed the tubing that still obstructed Danny's airway, preventing him from the ability to verbally communicate.

Danny seemed to realize this problem at the same time Steve had been thinking it. His lips flexed around the plastic and Steve could see his throat working. Whether it was an attempt to speak, breathe or swallow, Steve couldn't be sure. What he did know though was that the confusion in Danny's eyes was suddenly mixed with fear.

"Hey, it's okay. Don't try to talk. It's there to help you, just try to relax." He gently ran his thumb over the knuckles of Danny's hand, his words soft and reassuring. This seemed to do little to calm him, a quick glance at the monitors showed a jump in his heartbeat.

"Danny, please try to relax. If you can hear me, if you understand what I'm saying...can you squeeze my hand?" The seconds ticked away in Steve's head, breath held, waiting for a response. After a few more hazy blinks he could see Danny's eyes beginning to focus a little better. And almost a minute later he finally exhaled when he felt trembling fingers curl lightly around his own. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face.

"Good, that's good." However relieved he was that Danny was communicating in some fashion, the furrowed brow and look of confusion that remained on his friends face had his heart stuttering in his chest. Steve suddenly remembered that the doctor had been concerned about brain damage. Danny was responding, and although Steve was no neurologist, he knew that right there was a positive sign. Danny's disoriented state could clearly be attributed to that fact that he had been in a coma for five days, but Steve feared that it went deeper than that.

Upon Danny's awakening, his eyes had not flitted around the unfamiliar room. From the moment they opened, however unfocused, they were constantly on Steve. The question in his eyes did not appear to be asking 'where am I?' and that made Steve panic a little, forcing him to ask the question he didn't necessarily want the answer to.

"Do you...", he paused to clear his throat, "...do you know who I am?"

Danny felt like he had been working his way back from la la land for a long time. He wasn't sure what else to call it because he didn't quite know where he was or why he felt the way he did. It was as if his mind was floating around in an ocean, each wave bringing a familiar voice. Wherever he was, there was no light, nothing to look at. It was a euphoric feeling, speckled with occasional sounds. At first he couldn't place the sounds. There was several deep voices spewing words he didn't quite understand. There was a sweet angelic voice, like a child, familiar. And when she spoke to him he felt calm, not so confused. These voices were sporadic, floating in and out of his realm. But then there was a constant sound, a deep strong voice, but filled with such gentleness he was sure it couldn't be that of a man's.

He wasn't aware of time, just that his mind was in a sea of rolling waves. Until it wasn't. Slowly the sea began to calm. The weightlessness he had felt was diminishing, replaced with a heaviness that he couldn't quite define. Slightly painful twinges pulled at his senses, ones he couldn't place to specific body parts. Uncomfortable throbbing passed over his body, until an odd sensation came over him. This time he knew where it originated. His face, something was scraping over his cheek. It was a feeling he was familiar with but for the life of him he couldn't pinpoint it. It was soothing touch, accompanied by that gentle voice again. He had to know, he had to see what was happening and who this voice belonged to.

He forced his eyes open, the lids were heavy and it took several attempts before light filtered in. A shadowed figure moved above him, a blur at first. He opened and closed his eyes slowly, trying to clear his vision. As the room and the figure came into focus, the man spoke his name, welcoming him back. The man's tone filled with what Danny was sure was relief, his face wore a beautifully bright smile. Danny felt confused. Why was he being welcomed back? Had he gone somewhere?

His name was spoken again, this time a hint a fear laced the man's voice. A sudden cool touch forced it's way onto his arm and his body involuntarily twitched at the intrusion. He blinked again as he felt the sensation of that cool hand moving down his arm until it gripped his fingers. Why was that touch so powerful when the rest of his body felt so disconnected?

Suddenly the man was asking if he could hear him. Confusion made him merely blink again and when the question fully registered he attempted to answer. But as he opened his mouth to speak he found that there was something obstructing his airway. Instinct told him to fight it as panic set in. A loud insistent beeping blared in the background, piercing through the dull throb already settled into his brain. He could barely hear the man speaking through the panicked haze, until he felt a gentle caress on the back of his hand. He allowed the touch to ground him and found very quickly that the man's words penetrated the fog in his brain.

Through blurry vision he saw genuine concern and wanted so badly to reassure him that he was okay. A squeeze of his hand seemed to work wonders as a brilliant smile once again appeared on the man's face. This time though, that smile brought recognition.

_Steve_

"Do you, do you know who I am?"

This time there was no hesitation in the movement of Danny's fingers. Unfortunately Steve had not been specific as to whether or not the squeeze meant yes or immediate response could have easily been mistaken for panicked confusion.

"Was that a yes?" Sounding a bit annoyed.

Relief flared through Steve's body when the response he received was not another clench of his fingers but in typical Danny fashion, a slight eye roll. The chuckled relief died on Steve's lips when he realized the eye roll must have caused some discomfort as Danny's eyes clenched shut.

"Shit, hang on Danno, i'll get the nurse." Steve went to pull away but was stopped when Danny's fingers tightened around his hand. Looking back down at his friend, he waited until he opened his eyes again, taking comfort in the grip Danny had on his hand even if it was due to pain.

"Danny?" Steve questioned, growing concerned when it took Danny several moments to finally lift his lids. Steve's heart plummeted at the tears pooling in those ocean blue eyes. Steve recognized the look on Danny's face, fear, pain and panic.

In the moments following his awakening, Danny had felt uncomfortable. Pressure and slight twinges he couldn't really define. Everything had been so hazy that those feelings were pushed aside. He had focused all of his energy on trying to recall who it was that was standing over him, offering him comfort, that he hadn't paid much attention to anything else. When recognition finally dawned on him and he no longer had to concentrate so hard on one thing, rapid awareness abruptly set in.

His eye roll triggered a bolt of pain to shoot through his skull, followed by every other body part. His chest felt tight, a throbbing settling in around his ribs. The fraction of an inch he moved in the bed sent sharp flares of pain through his hip. The discomfort seemed to come from every direction and he couldn't stop the tears from pooling in his eyes.

He forced himself to open them at Steve's gentle prodding, needing to refocus his attention to escape the pain. When he did he suddenly realized he had no idea what had happened to him, why he was in such pain. Why was a tube currently breathing for him, preventing him from opening his damn mouth and asking every question he needed answers to.

Evidently his partner knew him better than he thought.

Steve could read the questions in Danny's eyes. Now that he was reassured that Danny knew who he was, he realized that perhaps his friend didn't understand what had happened to him.

"Danny you're going to be okay, do you hear me? You're in the hospital..." Danny's furrowed brow and squeeze of his hand told Steve that his partner had figured that much out on his own. Steve hesitated to continue. The fact that Danny didn't know why he was here meant that he couldn't remember the accident, which meant it was plausible that he didn't remember the fight that led to, and what Steve feared, caused it.

For a brief moment Steve considered not telling him anything about the accident. If Danny couldn't remember, then he couldn't hate him for it. But the look in his friends eyes, the need for an answer pushed him to come clean.

"You had an accident Danny, a car accident. We don't really know what happened for sure..." Steve felt that familiar pang of guilt, deep down he knew exactly what had happened, why Danny had crashed. "...it was raining pretty hard. It looks like you lost control of the Camaro, you went over a cliff." Steve swallowed hard, the images from the pictures Chin had brought him with the report flashed in his head.

He watched as Danny tried to process this information.

"Do you remember?" After a long moment, Danny gave a small shake of his head. This seemed to bring on some pain again because the pressure increased on his hand and Danny's eyes shut tightly again. A few tears leaked out of the side and rolled down his still bruised cheek into the bandage on his head.

This time instead of leaving to get the nurse, he leaned over and pushed the call button. In under a minute she appeared.

"Well, well, well...look who decided to wake up. Welcome back Detective Williams."

Steve reluctantly let go of his hand. Danny's eyes followed as the nurse moved around his bed, taking readings from the various machines. Then she was leaning over him, checking the tubing in his mouth.

"We have all been waiting to see those baby blues open up, especially your partner here." Her smile was warm, but Danny's eyes were searching for Steve again, who offered him a warm smile as confirmation.

"It's okay, he's right here, and I doubt he's going anywhere." The nurse reassured him. Even still, Steve stepped closer and rested his hand on Danny's forearm. It seemed to relax him a bit because his attention went back to the smirking nurse.

"The doctor was paged, he'll be here any minute. I know the vent is uncomfortable, but putting that aside, on a scale of one to ten how bad is the pain?" The nurses eyes went to Danny's hands, waiting for an answer.

Steve's grip tightened on Danny's arm when he immediately fanned out nine fingers.

"Ok, as soon as the doctor gets here he'll address that."

True to her word, the doctor arrived moments later and after checking his patient over, administered pain medication. All too quickly, Danny's eyes fluttered closed. Steve was alarmed at first but the doctor assured him that Danny was doing just fine and would be in and out of consciousness for a little while. He ordered more brain scans and told Steve that if Danny continued to make such good progress he could be taken off the ventilator the following day.

While the nurse fiddled with the machines Steve excused himself to make phone calls. Grace's shriek pierced his eardrum when he told Rachel that Danny had woken up. He laughed, the first time in days, feeling the relief that Grace was expressing. Kono and Chin were overjoyed at the news, wanting to come by and see for themselves but were involved in an interrogation with a murder suspect and couldn't pull away at the moment.

Once the necessary phone calls were made, Steve resumed his position at Danny's side. Watching his partner sleep, he felt some of the heaviness he had been feeling for days recede. Steve had been so afraid that Danny would never wake up that to see his eyes open had been heart stopping. Steve had waited for Danny to look at him with contempt and hatred, and had selfishly felt some sort of relief that Danny had no recollection of the accident or the events leading up to it for that matter. While he knew that those memories could come back at any moment, Steve allowed himself to bask in the knowledge that his partner had woken and for the time being didn't hate him. He sank back in to the chair and for the first time in five days fell into a restful slumber.

The following day Steve paced the hallway outside of ICU while the pulmonologist removed the tubing from Danny's airway. Steve knew it would be an unpleasant process for Danny and wanted to stay with him to help him through it. But when the doctor asked him to step outside, Steve acquiesced, respecting the wishes of one of the men responsible for saving Danny's life.

Danny had woken several times throughout the night for brief moments. Each time, his confused eyes sought out Steve, who was quick to reassure him that everything was okay. To say Steve was anxious was an understatement. Danny would be able to speak now, which meant he would be asking a lot of questions. Steve would find out just how much Danny remembered from that fateful night.

Twenty minutes later Steve found himself on one side of Danny while the neurologist stood on the other to begin his onslaught of questions.

"So Danny, I must admit, I am pleasantly surprised to see you doing so well. Steve has told me that you don't quite remember what happened to you. In order to determine the extent of your memory loss I'm going to barrage you with a series of boring questions that I'm sure you'll get tired of rather quickly, so please bear with me." He concluded with a smile.

Danny blinked before responding. Those were a lot of words for his still muzzy brain to process all at once, causing his response to come in the form of a question.

"K?"

Steve grimaced in sympathy as Danny winced at the harsh sounding croak that came from his raw throat. Without hesitation Steve reached for the cup on the small table to his left and spooned an ice chip into Danny's mouth. The coolness soothed his sore throat instantly, relaxing his features enough for the doctor to continue.

"Ok, we'll start with the basics. Can you tell me your full name and birthday"

"Daniel Williams, August si..fifth..." Steve forced a reassuring smile even through the pang he felt in his chest when Danny tripped on the date of his birth. He seemed to be stuck on the year.

Danny had a flare of panic. It felt as if his brain had a ton of information floating around but he couldn't seem to get it in order. When he stumbled on such a simple question he feared the worst.

"It's okay Danny, you sustained a pretty serious head injury and have been unconscious for several days. I'm sure things are a bit jumbled up there, let's move on okay?"

_No, it wasn't okay. Why couldn't he remember the Goddamn year he was born? What about that was okay? Numbers flashed through his mind, 2002. No that couldn't be it, that was the year Grace was born. 1999, the year he married Rachel. Shit! What was wrong with him?_

"Danny, talk to me buddy."

Steve watched the screen monitoring Danny's vitals. Anytime there was a jump in his heart rate, the blood pressure cuff would take a reading and display it, which is what was happening right now. He could see his friend had zoned out, looked to the doctor for an explanation.

"Give him a minute."

A minute passed, the readings held and Steve was starting to worry.

_1995, the year he graduated high school. 1997, the year he graduated from the police academy. 1977?_

"Danno, please." Steve could hardly stand it, just as he was about to throttle the damn doctor and demand he do something, Danny spoke.

"1977"

"Danny?" The doctor questioned.

"August 5, 1977...my birthday" He would have felt relief if he didn't fear not knowing the answers to other questions.

"Great, good job. Now, can you tell me where you are?"

"Umm, the hospital?" Steve stifled a chuckle. Danny's tone clearly indicated that he found the question ridiculous.

"I'm sorry, I should have been more specific." Thankfully the doctor wasn't offended. "I meant to ask do you know what state you are in?"

"Pineapple infested hellhole"

"I'm sorry?"

"He uh, he means Hawaii."

"Ah, okay well, making jokes is a good thing, it is. But please try and stick to direct answers. And Steve I really do need Danny to answer, try not to provide any information for him."

"Sorry."

"Danny, what is your occupation?"

**_"Some smart ass detective who thinks he knows everything because he has 87 homicide cases under his belt?"_**

Danny's breath hitched, where the hell had that come from? He looked back and forth between Steve and the doctor to see who had spoken but it seemed that neither of them had. The words were harsh and laced with annoyance and anger. The voice that echoed in his head sounded like Steve, causing him to stumble on his next answer too.

"I'm a Detective with HPD...no wait, Five-0. I work for him on the Governors task force." He pointed a shaky finger at Steve.

"And he is?" The doctor questioned, motioning towards Steve.

**_"I'm a goddamn SEAL Danny, and your superior..."_**

This time he was sure it was Steve who had spoken, only he was looking right at him and his lips had not moved. Where were these words coming from? Better yet, why did Steve sound so angry with him?

"Danny?"

Steve hadn't been worried when his partner was asked this question, Danny had established shortly after he had woken that he knew who Steve was. But when Danny hesitated once again to answer he felt his gut twisting.

"My partner, Steve McGarrett...he's a goddamn SEAL"

Steve's head snapped back at Danny's words. He had replayed there argument so many times in his head over the past five days that he could recite the entire thing front to back. The last part of what Danny said was clearly a memory, whether Danny knew it or not, and Steve began to panic.

"Danny, are you okay?" The doctor asked, leaning over his patient.

Danny blinked tiredly. He felt so confused.

"Yeah" He rasped.

"I can see this is draining you, I only have a couple more questions."

"Doctor, maybe this is all a little too much too soon." Steve implored on Danny's behalf, he could see his friend fading.

"We're almost done Steve. Now Danny, do you remember your accident?"

Danny thought for a few seconds, willing his brain to cooperate, but came up empty.

"No."

"Okay, what is the last thing you remember doing?"

Again Danny took a few moments to process the question and dig into the recesses of his muddled brain. He cleared his throat and clenched his eyes tight at the pain radiating through his head and throat. He felt a hand squeeze his and opened his eyes.

Steve leaned a little closer. He could see his friend was in pain. It was obvious that Danny had remembered snippets of their argument, but how much really? Was the last memory he had of them arguing?

"Warehouse, we were raiding a warehouse. We drew fire..." He suddenly had a vision of Kono taking a bullet to the head. His head flew off the pillow, all protests from his aching body went ignored. "...Kono! Kono went down!"

A monitor started blaring in the background as Danny's heart rate skyrocketed.

"Danny, try to cal..."

"Kono's okay Danny, she's ok. It was just a graze." Steve jumped in to reassure his partner, ignoring the doctors pleas. He held Danny's hand in both of his and leaned close to ensure eye contact. Even through the horrible shrieking of the monitors Steve could hear the harshness of Danny's breathing. It was rapid and strained. His face contorted in pain before his body suddenly went slack and he collapsed back onto the bed.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thank you to every single person who has been patiently waiting for an update. I am truly sorry for the delay. I am not thrilled with this chapter but I hope you like in nonetheless. Thank you to everyone who has commented, followed or added this story to their favorites. I thought about letting it go and not finishing it but some recent requests to continue changed my mind. Your comments, good or bad, keep me going, so thank you again!**_

_****_Chapter 6

Splashing cold water onto his face, Steve lifted his head and stared at his own reflection in the mirror. Leaning heavily onto the sink, he watched rivulets of waters slide down his cheeks. His mind drifted to several hours earlier.

After working himself into a panic with the memory of Kono getting shot, Danny had lost consciousness. Activity immediately swirling around him as the staff worked efficiently to bring his vitals back to normal range and ensure Danny had not suffered any major had stepped back and out of the way without being asked, not wanting to impede necessary treatment. He watched the nurse secure an oxygen mask over his friends face while the doctor attempted to rouse Danny. Steve stood motionless, waiting for a reaction. Within minutes his silent prayers were answered when Danny sluggishly opened his eyes.

Fifteen extremely long minutes, and a thorough examination later, Danny was sleeping peacefully. His neurologist assured Steve that Danny had just panicked, causing him to go into respiratory distress and in turn dropped his blood pressure which resulted in sudden loss of consciousness.

_"His body is weak and exhausted. He'll still be sleeping the majority of the time so don't be alarmed. This shouldn't cause any setback in terms of his recovery, but he is to be kept calm at all times." _

Once the room had cleared out, Steve resumed his position by Danny's side.

Now, only hours later, Steve had finally conceded to taking a much needed bathroom break, while Kono paid her visit and doted on their friend.

/

Licking his dry lips, Danny attempted to swallow as he eased his way to consciousness. He found his throat was still terribly sore and grimaced at the feeling. Before he could even unglue his eyelids apart, something cool touched his lips and he opened his mouth. A gloriously cold piece of ice immediately began to melt in the heat of his mouth and slid soothingly down the raw passage.

As the discomfort in his throat waned, he realized the pains he had throughout the rest of his body the last time he was awake were, for the moment, blessedly absent. Noting the floaty feeling he was currently experiencing, Danny presumed his pain free bliss was due to a good cocktail of drugs.

"So I hear the mere thought of my untimely demise caused you a bit of panic. I'm truly flattered Danny, I had no idea you cared so much." Kono's tone was light and teasing and after the panic of fearing she had been mortally wounded, Danny felt a surge of relief at the sound of her voice.

He managed to lift his heavy lids to find her bright smiling face leaning over him.

"You're okay?" Tired eyes flickering towards the butterfly bandage near her temple.

"This?..." She motioned to her healing wound. "...is nothing brah. War wounds. A good story for the grandkids." She finished with a wink.

Danny couldn't help but grin as Kono slipped another piece of ice into his mouth.

"You on the other hand..." He watched Kono shake her head sadly as she placed the cup onto the table beside him. "...let's just say you're damn lucky you're going to be okay cuz I was about to kick your ass."

"I have no doubt"

He obviously knew Kono had been joking, but there was a haunted look in her eyes that sobered him quickly.

"You really scared us Danny." She confessed as she fidgeted with his blankets, carefully avoiding his eyes. Danny could see her own begin to glisten. He slowly moved a hand, surprised at how weak he still felt, and took hold of her elbow.

"Sorry"

"You have nothing to apologize for Danny, it was an accident. It's just, when you were brought in...seeing you like that..." Kono shook her head as she trailed off as if trying to erase the picture in her mind.

"You were there?" Suddenly confused, Danny tried to piece together what information he had, which was slim. It frustrated him to have no memory of the events leading up to his accident. Steve had only told him bits and pieces of that night, but it wasn't enough to have the full story.

"Yeah, Steve and I were waiting for Chin when you were wheeled in..."

"Hey, you're up" Steve's voice barely registered with Danny, he was too deep in thought.

Steve had overheard the last part of Kono's words to Danny as he neared his ICU cubicle. Panic flared in his chest. He knew Danny would have questions about his accident, and selfishly considered it a blessing that he couldn't remember their fight. Now with Kono offering information that Steve wasn't quite ready to share, not to mention the doctors orders of keeping Danny calm, he couldn't help but glare at her.

Confused at Steve's stern gaze, Kono furrowed her brow. A look was exchanged between them, Danny completely oblivious.

"Where was I?" Danny's soft voice interrupted Kono and Steve's silent conversation. Kono raised her eyebrows at Steve, waiting for his answer.

"Why wasn't I here with you? Was I on my way?" Danny couldn't remember anything after the warehouse, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if his friends were injured, he too would have been with them at the hospital.

"Yeah Danny, you were..." Kono blanched at Steve's obvious lie.

"Steve can I talk to you for a second?" Sending a confused Danny an apologetic smile, she all but pulled Steve out of the room.

Once in the hallway, out of earshot, Kono spun on Steve.

"What are you doing?"

"Look, you don't understand..."

"You're lying to him."

"Kono..."

"Why? Why are you lying? He's missing pieces of his memory Steve, lying to him is not..."

"It's my fault okay! It's my fault he almost died."

"Steve.." The devastation in Steve's voice forced her to soften.

"It was because of what I did that he got into that accident, I'm not ready for him to remember that"

"That's not true, you are not responsible for this. You had an argument, hell you two always argue, but you didn't ask for this"

"You weren't there, the things I said..." His voice caught in his throat but he forced himself to shake off the emotions.

"...I'll tell him Kono, just give me some time okay.I don't want to upset him and set his recovery back"

"I know I wasn't there Steve, but it doesn't matter. Danny cares about you, he knows whatever you said was in the heat of the moment. Well, he will know when you tell him what happened."

Steve knew Kono was right, but he couldn't tell him yet. He couldn't bear the thought of Danny hating him for causing him so much pain with cruel and thoughtless words.

"In the meantime, what if he remembers? Don't you think he'll be more pissed at the fact that you didn't tell him?"

"I'll handle it Kono, just...just evade his questions for now. I'll deal with it."

Kono could see how physically and emotionally exhausted Steve was as he ran a hand over his weary face, it was the only reason she agreed to his request.

Reentering the ICU unit, they stayed out of the way as a nurse quietly and efficiently updated Danny's charts. Their friend lay silent in the bed, appearing to have fallen back asleep. But when they approached his eyes opened to slits, watching them with curiosity.

"Everything okay?" The way they had fled left Danny feeling suspicious and uncomfortable.

"Yeah Danny, everything's fine." Steve busied himself with adjusting Danny's blanket. Even under the lingering bruises marring Danny's face and the extreme fatigue, Steve could see the suspicion in his eyes.

"You're a bad liar." Their eyes met as Danny threw Steve's words back at him.

"You're right Danny, he is lying." Kono's words had Steve's heart skipping a beat. He swallowed hard and silently begged her to keep her mouth shut.

"This guy swore to me that he was finally going home to get some real sleep, in an actual bed..."

Steve let out the breath he had been holding. Danny's suspicious glare turned quickly to one of concern as he watched Steve begin to fidget again.

"...He hasn't left your side since the night of the accident. I've been smuggling in food and I'm pretty sure the only reason he has even showered in the last six days is because they'll throw him out if he starts to smell." Kono joked while running her fingers through Danny's disheveled hair.

Danny unconsciously tilted his head into the touch, his skull was beginning to pound and Kono's fingers felt comforting and soothing.

"Don't listen to her, she's exaggerating." Steve spoke softly, he could clearly see pain lines starting to show across Danny's forehead, and didn't miss the way he leaned into Kono's touch.

"You're a goof..." His words were quiet and careful. The sudden onset of pain was exhausting. His chest felt tight and heavy with the attempt of a deep breath. Reaching out a hand he rested is atop the one Steve had gripped to the bed rail. Danny was not surprised in the least to hear that Steve had been camped out at his bedside, but it still left him feeling bad.

"Go home Steve, I'm okay."

Steve shook his head, forming a rebuttal in his head. Although Danny's doctors had assured him he was stable and healing, the fact that he remained in ICU was worrisome. He couldn't risk leaving and having something happen while he was gone.

"He's right you know, it's safe for you to leave for a bit..." Danny's doctor entered the room smiling. "...we have an excellent staff here and Danny is doing just fine."

"His head is hurting." Had Danny's head not felt like it may explode at any moment, he would have rolled his eyes at Steve's attempt to discount the doctors words. As it was, it comforted him to know that Steve was that tuned into how he was feeling without him having to say it.

The doctor nodded and leaned over to assess his patient.

"Your blood pressure is slightly elevated, most likely due to the stress of the pain you're experiencing. The sudden onset of a migraine is not unusual after sustaining a head injury such as yours."

Danny sighed, so that was why it felt like a mini-McGarrett was setting off grenades behind his eyeballs.

"Migraine? I thought you said he was doing fine" That familiar feeling of panic began to bubble to the surface.

"He is, his latest scans show the the swelling in his brain is almost gone completely." The doctor directed at Steve and Kono before turning back to his patient. "I'll get you something for the pain, it will help you get some rest too."

"Thanks Doc" Danny's words were barely audible. The pain was intense and even the low lights surrounding his bed were too bright for his eyes too handle. The doctor sensed this and ordered that the lights be turned off, an icepack to be applied to his head and for the nurse to administer his medication.

The minutes melted together as quiet activity swirled around him. There were hushed voices that seemed distant and a warm soft hand slipped into his own. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come.

"Ssh, just rest Danny..." Although Kono's voice was not more than a breath of a whisper it still ricocheted through his skull. Cracking one eye he could see Steve several feet away in a quiet conversation with the doctor. Steve looked upset and he wanted to call out to him, tell him to give the good doctor a break, but whatever medication had been slipped into his IV was beginning to make him drowsy. He closed his eye and drifted, allowing the feeling of Kono running her thumb over the back of his hand sooth him.

"Is this something that will continue?" Steve questioned.

"Like I said, migraines are not uncommon after a head injury. It's possible that he may experience them for weeks or months to come. Every injury and every patient is different. Rest assured Steve, his IS getting better. I think within the next twenty-four hours we will be able to move him out of ICU into a step down unit. We'll get a physical therapist in to see him and start getting him out of that bed and moving."

Glancing back to his partner, now dozing, Steve couldn't help the frown that he wore.

"Steve..." A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. "...he really is going to be okay. His vitals are all good and within normal range. His physical recovery will be coming along shortly and we got very lucky that the only possible permanent damage seems to be a slight case of retrograde amnesia."

Steve's eyes flew back to the doctor.

"You think he won't get those memories back?" Guilt stirred in his veins at the feeling of hope that Danny may never remember the night of the accident.

"It was a traumatic event paired with a head injury. Any memory leading up to and including the accident could very well stay repressed or it could come back at any moment. These things are unpredictable. Just know that his brain scans are clean and there is no other evidence of damage."

Some of the weight that had been bearing heavily on his shoulders eased as the doctor continued to reassure him that Danny was going to be okay.

"My advice to you is to go home, get some much needed rest because he is going to need all the help he can get in the upcoming weeks."

"Thanks Doc, I think I'll hang around for a while."

Kono shook her head with a smile when Steve returned to Danny's bedside.

"I have to get going, check in with Chin. Call us if you guys need anything." Kono whispered to Steve, then leaned down and lay a gentle kiss on Danny's forehead.

Feeling the feather light touch on his brow, Danny opened his eyes. He gave a small grin to a receding Kono before turning his gaze to his partner.

"You don't have to stay..." The relentless pounding in his head had thankfully waned, leaving behind a dull throb. He felt tired and weak and truth be told he didn't want Steve to leave. He found it comforting to know that his friend was a constant presence.

"I know..." Steve responded, readjusting the ice pack. Catching the small shiver that ran through his friend, he pulled the blanket up and tucked it under his chin. "...get some rest. I'll be right here."

But Danny had already begun to drift before Steve could even put up an argument. As he settled into the chair beside the bed once more, Danny's hand skittered beneath the blanket as if searching for something. Slipping his own hand between the rails, Steve lifted the material. A moment later two hands made contact, Danny's squeezing once before calming.

"I'm here..." Steve whispered in the darkness of the room as he leaned back and allowed himself to close his eyes. "...I'm here."


End file.
